When comparing Mark of the Old Ones vs Borderlands 2, the Slant community recommends Borderlands 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best games on Linux?”Borderlands 2 is ranked 3rd while Mark of the Old Ones is ranked 86th. The most important reason people chose Borderlands 2 is:

The varying classes and play styles are designed to work together and promote co-op play. One player may be a tank, with large guns and durable shields, while another may have medic abilities and a long-range sniper rifle. This makes for a scenario where each class compliments each other, which is a fun way to play together.

Pros

Pro

Unique, inverse kinematics-based control scheme that allows rarely seen freedom of control

By utilizing an inverse kinematics-based control scheme there is zero need for pre rendered animations for the character. It is animated real time.

Pro

Immersive, HP Lovecraft-inspired aesthetic

Mark of the Old Ones has a HP Lovecraft inspired aesthetics and graphics with the protagonist being a tendril laden creature who traverse landscapes that look fitting for any lovecraftian themed title.

Pro

Free of restrictive DRM

Without having DRM loaded into the game users can not only play the game without an internet connection but also play it on as many of their compatible devices as they like. On top of this it can also be shared with friends, just as one would have back before DRM existed.

Pro

Complimentary classes that are great for teamwork based co-op

The varying classes and play styles are designed to work together and promote co-op play. One player may be a tank, with large guns and durable shields, while another may have medic abilities and a long-range sniper rifle. This makes for a scenario where each class compliments each other, which is a fun way to play together.

Pro

So much loot, that you will barely see any twice

Borderlands 2 makes it feel like Christmas every time you kill an enemy or open a chest. Whether it's ammo or health or a new and better weapon, whatever you find will reward your curiosity and pique your appetite for more. The potential to find the best loot in the most humble locations makes killing enemies and finding chests incredibly exciting and satisfying. While many loot-based games succeed due to this mechanic, Borderlands 2 surpasses the competition by delivering randomized goodies with unique appearances and stats.

The guns and items in Borderlands 2 have distinct visual features depending on their attributes. For example, a gun with a melee attack bonus might have a blade on it. The customization goes beyond pallet swapping (where the only difference is the color), which leads players to become much more attached to their guns than a bunch of polygons should make them.

You will also find tons and tons of different types of guns. Six different types of guns exist in the game. Each gun can be made by one of eight different manufacturers. Each gun is also made of five additional parts. All of which are generated randomly. With the many millions of combinations available, you never know what attributes the next gun you will find will have. This also gives a slightly different experience to each playthrough, because it’s entirely unpredictable what weapons you will find and when.

Pro

Each playthrough is a different experience

Borderlands 2 is all about options. With near-infinite weapon options and six character classes, you can play the game multiple times and have a different experience each time. The classes have multiple skill trees that let you tweak your character’s moves and abilities to match how you want to play. This all adds up to a gaming experience that is difficult to beat for customizability.

Pro

Actual couch co-op that can also be played online

Those playing on local split-screen can play online with others at the same time. This way even if playing locally with a friend, both can experience online play on the same machine and screen.

Pro

Contains fun low-brow humor that can still be serious when it needs to be

Despite being an in-your-face action game with an ostensibly serious plot, Borderlands 2 features a fun-loving sense of humor. This is exaggerated in the sidequests, which feature some of the funniest and most creative writing. This helps the player dive into the main plot while also having the choice to go on sidequests that offer an expanded sense of humor.

The humor is often based on popular memes or lowbrow concepts, which should appeal to a wide range of players.

Pro

Stylish comic book like art style that breaks from the herd

The solid black outlines and bright colors make this game look great and stand out from other first-person shooters. The artistic style is similar to the art in comics, clean and bright and breaks with the trend of gray and brown in recent FPS video games.

Cons

Con

Limited architecture support

Mark of the Old Ones has no plans to create or support a 32bit version of the game which will limited people who are still using older 32bit systems.

Con

Boring bulletsponge enemies

A lot of the enemies, and especially bosses, are just bulletsponges that require no different tactics in place to beat them.

Con

Gameplay can become repetitive

The best strategy is often to run away, take cover, shoot, and repeat. The AI doesn't do much to pursue you, which gives the player a significant advantage and makes patience vital. It can also lead to long firefights with little actual danger – a recipe for boredom.

Con

Potential lost loot due to sharing

Loot isn't reserved for each individual player when playing co-op, meaning the first person to get to the loot can take as much of it as they want. This can lead to contention between co-op players, which defeats the purpose of cooperative play.

Con

There is little actual cooperation between players

Most of the "cooperation" in Borderlands 2 is limited to shooting the same mob. There are almost no skills or perks that integrate with other characters in a meaningful way (there are a few stat bonuses, but that's pretty much it).

Con

Tedious to check gun stats

Being forced to check the stats on each gun you find in order to be able to compare it to the items already in your inventory can become tedious.

Con

Limited visual customization of characters

For a game that is full of choices, Borderlands 2 is somehow lacking in visual customization options for the player’s character. There is no way to customize the characters’ faces or body styles; for the most part all that can be changed is the color of their outfit. This can lead to online games full of identical characters, which is not only confusing but also makes it difficult to feel any sort of pride or ownership over your character.